Norway bids farewell to King Harald V, ‘grandfather’ of the nation
Despite health woes in his later years, the king always ruled out abdicating and remained extremely popular among Norwegians.
Norway will say its final goodbyes to King Harald V on Wednesday, a modern and unifying figure whose reign ended with scandals. Among the notable figures attending the funeral in Oslo are Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William of Britain, Spain's royal couple, Finland's president, Germany's president, the Czech Republic's president, and the French and Thai prime ministers.
The funeral procession will commence at noon with the casket carried along the city's main avenue to the Lutheran cathedral for a ceremony beginning at 1pm, during which a minute of silence will be observed throughout Norway. Harald, who ruled since 1991 and was the longest-reigning monarch in Europe, will be laid to rest in a crypt alongside his parents and grandparents in a $2 million sarcophagus with an undisclosed design.
High security measures, including the deployment of nearly 3,000 police officers and 3,500 soldiers, have been put in place for the event.
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